Contemporary Opulence

A house in Mumbai enveloped in luxurious textures and the interplay of materials create dramatic interiors that align with the need of the clients.

A house should reflect the personality of the people who live within its walls and this is the rule book with which Inteara, a design firm established since 1992 in Mumbai by interior designer Sanjay Bobade, believes in. The studio has redefined how people live through a series of bespoke and innovate creative designs, each of which has a definite sense of place.

“Modern interiors provide us with an optimistic view of contemporary life while complementing its context with the exploration of other essential values like a programme, technology, sustainability, collaboration, and image. With these basic issues in mind we strive to create works of beauty and elegance that enhance any environment,” says Sanjay about the principles of the design firm.

In focus here is a luxurious four-bedroom apartment spread across 2,200 square feet in Mumbai. The home derives its distinctive identity through a textural interplay says Sanjay.

The entry or the door to the apartment is put under the spotlight by giving the entry door a larger dimension, almost flaunting the apartment and giving it a very characteristic feature.

The entry takes one through to a common passage into the hallway and dining area and then later on to the private spaces of the bedrooms of each member of the family.

“Each space is designed keeping in mind the end-user. In the master bedroom, the concept was to keep it minimal and earthy hence the shades of greys and browns were used,” explains the architect.

Grey is used as the rustic geometrical tile pattern panelling while brown is introduced through the bed and cupboard panel. Shades of brown can be seen on the bed, the marble floor, and cupboards in dark wood with a yellow lounge chair to break the monotony of the room. The wooden ceiling design is also a major feature in this master bedroom.

While the apartment has been designed using optimum spatial arrangements, like most Mumbai apartments where space is always a premium, the interior designer has not let part of the apartment undesigned or without any distinctive embellishment. Simplicity or underplay of features are not the theme of the apartment, this apartment is designed to make the client feel at home while it also induces a sense of fulfilment in the owner.

“For the daughter’s bedroom, blue is the colour of choice splashed over wardrobes and study areas with a tinge of pink for the bed and smartly designed wooden back panel,” explains the designer.

The son’s bedroom concept was to keep it vibrant with the use of blues and greys topped with plays of exotic veneer and the back wall finished in brick pattern enhancing the quirky watch on it. The most extraordinary feature in the room is the leather upholstered wardrobe, according to the designer.

The guest bedroom was kept minimal with storages and wallpaper on the back wall and a chair-swing is the enhancing factor, according to Sanjay.

The living space is the epitome of luxury, with interesting furniture pieces like a pastel coloured sofa, a metallic finished centre table, and a leather recliner. Wall treatments like veneer panelling, textured walls and a floral mural enhances the space. But the highlight of the space is not the interior elements but the balcony that has also been treated with similar elaborate designs. The open kitchen adjoined to the dining area with a breakfast table and a huge storage area was designed specifically as a contemporary functional space.

Bathrooms have also not been left out and the luxurious treatment continues within these spaces too with the use of mood lighting to create an enhanced sense of drama.

“Our primary site goal is to create a strong sense of “place,” by enhancing or transforming the existing site in a unique and provocative way. Whether residential, commercial, entertainment, hospitality or the open landscape, we search the context of each project individually for clues that inspire a formal idea of organisation, scale, and location that provoke a strong dialogue with its setting,” says Sanjay.

Photography by Prashant Bhat